Z's Discovery
by Knightwood
Summary: Z grew up never knowing her family, but it really throws her into a tail spin when one of them turns up during a routine investigation.
1. Z's Discovery

Another SPD fic in the same canon as the others. Reading them first would be an advantage, (Timeline:- Departure, Happy Birthday Syd, Family business) But it isn't necessary. Here's the five minute version.

Set after Fowler Birdie has retired and Cruger has left SPD earth, Sky is now Base Commander. During this time, Bridge and Z finally confess their love for each other and begin dating.

While the team attend Syd's birthday party, they are surprised to discover that Syd's family are good long-term friends with Kimberly, the original Pink Ranger, and her husband David, whom Syd considers family and refers to as aunt and uncle. The celebrations are interrupted when an alien attacks the city, and Syd is badly injured during the battle and requires a blood transfusion, which leads to her making a painful and startling discovery. Her real parents are in fact Kimberly and David, from whom she was stolen as an infant and sold unknowingly to her uncle who gave her to the infertile Drews who were desperate to start a family.

With Sky's intervention, she is eventually able to talk to her family, who she feels have betrayed her by lying to her since her birth, and begins to work things out with him. She also finally reveals that she is in love with Sky, and the two share a passionate kiss which begins a romantic relationship.

Shortly after that, two promising cadets prove their worth in the field, during a demanding case and are assigned to B-Squad, though the team is surprised to learn that they are in fact the twin children of Tommy and Kira Oliver, Frank and Emma.

**Rating: T** Violence, adult themes and some language.

**Legal: **I do not own Power Rangers or the associated names, rights, characters, places or events etc. Any material not covered by the above rights is to be presumed to be purely the creation of the author.

**Z's Discovery**

Z was heading back to her dorm room after a long, boring shift on surveillance. She always hated the surveillance shift, especially during the day. Nothing much really happened, and if she had to call in three offences in the shift, it was considered busy. No, she'd spent the last 12 hours in monotonous hell, watching the monitors and struggling to remain awake. Only the thought of a date with Bridge kept her going.

He'd tried to change shifts with another officer to spend time with her in the hope of keeping the time moving, but one of the training officers had called in sick and he was needed to cover for him. He had promised to take Z out to dinner to make up for her disappointment, and now that was what she was clinging to as a way of keeping her sanity through the remainder of her shift.

"Have no fear Z, your relief has arrived!" Emma greeted her as she came into the room.

"What are you so cheerful about?" Z asked her. "Other than a Friday or Saturday night, surveillance shifts are boring as hell!"

"I brought some little distractions." She replied, pulling out a book of Sudoku puzzles. "I'll be able to keep myself amused. Enjoy your date."

"Just don't let Sky catch you doing those." Z chuckled.

"Give me the gory details!" Emma called after her.

Making her way back to her dorm, Z was surprised to find a note on the bed addressed to her in Bridge's handwriting.

"Meet me on the roof, dress warm, Bridge." She read aloud. She was more than a little puzzled by what he meant by this, but she decided to go along with it. Heading up to the top of the command centre, she left through the roof access door to find Bridge standing there in a tuxedo beside an ice bucket with a bottle of champagne and tow glasses sitting in it. He gestured over to a table and chairs he'd had set up on the roof and pulled out a chair for her.

"Well, you certainly believe in doing things differently." Z remarked as she sat down. "So why are we up here? I though we were going out?"

"I wanted to bring you up here, because it's an amazing view." He told her, panning his hand across the skyline. At this time of night, he had a point. Lit up in only a few areas, it was like a constantly flowing river of tiny lights. "I really wanted you to see that."

"I haven't taken much time to think about it." She replied, looking out over the landscape. "It really is beautiful."

"But not as beautiful as you." He told her. RIC made his way onto the rooftop and knelt down near the table and began to play soft, romantic music through his inbuilt CD player.

"Sorry, I'm kind of between sound systems at the moment since I tried to upgrade my stereo to make toast." He told her. He nodded in RIC's direction as a subtle hint for the robotic dog to turn around and at least not seem so much like he was eavesdropping.

"It's alright Bridge." Z told him. "This is great."

"I've bribed a couple of cadets to bring us up some food in a little while." He continued. "There's something I want to say to you."

"Bridge, I think we're a bit beyond asking each other's permission to ask questions." Z chuckled.

"Elizabeth Delgado." He began in a serious tone.

"Since when have you ever called me Elizabeth?" She interrupted.

"Elizabeth Delgado." He repeated. "We've been dating now for quite a while, and I just want you to know how much I love you." He pulled a ring from his pocket and slowly got down onto one knee. Z's mouth just hung open in disbelief. "This ring belonged to my Grandmother." He explained. "She wanted me to give it to someone special when I found the woman I want to spend the rest of my life with. I'd like you to be that woman."

"The special one that gets the ring or the one that spends the rest of her life with you?" Z asked as a joke, though by now her voice was cracking a little with emotion, so it didn't come out quite right. Bridge looked a little confused by her statement. "Bridge, the answer's yes! Of course I'll marry you!"

Bridge took her left hand in his, and placed the ring on her finger, before pulling her in for a long, passionate kiss. RIC fired off a rocket which lit up the night sky, and a loud cheer from the street grabbed their attention. Z looked over the edge, finding virtually the entire base standing in the front courtyard, holding up a banner which read, "Congratulations Bridge and Z."

"It's just as well I said yes." Z laughed, seeing the assembled throng of well-wishers continuing to scream their support.

"I guess it is." Bridge replied. "I think we have to go down and see them now."

"Maybe later," Z said as she placed her arms around his neck, "I think they can wait a little."

The next day, Z was approached by Scott from the archives department. By the way he was rushing around like a headless chicken; she could see he was having a busy day.

"Hey Scott," she greeted him, "are you busy?"

"I have to do a complete inventory of the entire archives, back up all the files and handle a tour of the Ranger Hall of Legend for the kids from the local high school!" He snapped as he struggled to keep a hold of the mountain of paperwork he was carrying. "Worst of all, both the interns called in sick, so I have to do all that single-handed!"

"Well my schedule's pretty light today." Z replied with a shrug. "I could handle the tour."

"You're a lifesaver!" Scott called out as he ran down the hall. "They'll be here about 11."

Meanwhile, Bridge was working out in the gym. He was steadily losing the desire to continue, because every few seconds he had to stop as another person approached him to shake his hand and congratulate him on his engagement.

"Hey Bridge, how does it feel to be the centre of attention?" Z asked him as she approached.

"Somehow I doubt I'm going to get much done today." He told her as he finally gave up on his workout. "Fancy getting some lunch later?"

"I'm afraid I can't." She replied with a wince. "Scott's totally swamped today; I said I'd take the tour group around the Hall of Legend for him."

"I guess we'll have to take a rain check." Bridge replied with a shrug. "Besides, it'll give me a chance to help Sky with the rotas. Maybe I won't end up working EVERY weekend for the next month."

"Oh well, my little bunch of adorable hellions will be arriving shortly." Z sighed. "I'll see you later."

"I love you." Bridge said as he kissed her farewell.

"I love you too." She shot back. Making her way downstairs, she found that the bus from the high school had indeed arrived. Some of the first graders appeared to be embroiled in a game of tag, while the sophomores talked loudly on their cell phones. Z breathed a little sigh as she approached the group. "You owe me big time Scott." She said to herself.

Syd was sitting on Sky's desk, whispering something to him as Bridge arrived. By the way Sky was smiling; it was obvious he liked what he was hearing. Syd got off the desk and left the office as Bridge arrived.

"Can I help you Bridge?" He asked.

"Sky I was looking for a favour." Bridge began. "I know you haven't done the rota yet…"

"Actually I have." Sky interrupted him.

"Oh, sorry, never mind." He stammered as he turned to leave.

"What can I help you with?" Sky asked.

"I was going to ask if both Z and I could have the weekend off." Bridge answered as he turned back. "I wanted to visit my parents with her, but if you've already…"

Sky threw down the rota in front of Bridge. He smiled as he saw that Sky had already given them that time off. "I figured you'd want to do that." He told him. "You did just get engaged, I doubt your mom would forgive you if you didn't let her welcome Z to the family."

"Thanks Sky." Bridge answered. "Fancy getting a beer with us later?"

"I'll ask Syd." He responded thoughtfully. "See you in the bar about 6?"

"That'd be great." Bridge replied, leaving the office. "We'll see you then."

Z was really regretting promising to do the tour for Scott. They kids had started off energetic, but by the time they had gone around a couple of the exhibits they'd begun to get a little bored, and started acting out. Some of them ignored her, some of them were entertaining themselves by shoving each other around, and one particularly annoying freshman constantly bombarded her with questions. At first she had thought it was good at least one of the kids was interested, but it was getting a little old.

"Now we're passing the pictures of the Wild Force Rangers." Z explained, panning a hand across the exhibit. "They protected the Animarium…"

"What's the Animarium?" The freshman asked, getting obvious joy out of Z's rising frustration.

"The Animarium is a floating island where the Wild Zords rested for 3000 years." She explained, pointing to pictures of the Zords. "They fought the evil Orgs…"

"What are Orgs?" He interrupted again.

"They were monsters who attempted to destroy the earth through pollution." She told them. "They eventually defeated them in battle. Here they are in their civilian forms under their Ranger Form pictures. Cole Evans, Max Cooper, Taylor Earhardt, Alyssa Enrile and Merrick Baliton."

"Why isn't there a picture and name for the Black Ranger?" The freshman asked. Z turned to the wall and frowned.

"Oh, neither there is." She remarked, seeing that he was right. For some reason there was a picture of the Black Ranger, but no picture or name plaque. "I guess his name's been lost to history. Anyway, moving on…"

Sky had just finished getting changed into denims and a blue t-shirt when Syd arrived, gently stroking his shoulders.

"Looking forward to it?" She asked him.

"They said they'd meet us there." He replied. "I can't believe Bridge finally plucked up the courage to ask her. He's been planning this for a couple of months now."

"I think it's really sweet." Syd said cheerfully as a large, bright smile came to her face. "Do you think they'll wait long?"

"Knowing how impatient Z is, I'd be surprised if the registrar isn't already booked." He chuckled. He presented his arm to her. "Shall we go?"

"Sure thing handsome." Syd replied, linking her arm with his own. "Let's go."

Z and Bridge arrived at the bar, being waved over by Emma. Bridge had decided to make a night of it and invited Emma and Frank too. Frank was buttering himself some more bread, though the basket was pretty much empty, so obviously he'd eaten a fair bit.

"Bridge, Z congratulations!" Emma yelled excitedly, kissing Bridge on the cheek, and hugging Z deeply. "Sorry about my bro, he's always been ruled by his stomach."

"It's no problem, I don't mind." Z chuckled. "I see our fearless leader and his date haven't gotten here yet."

"You know Sky, he's a real workaholic." Frank interjected. "He probably just lost track of time."

"Rangers, it's Kat here." A call came across their communicators. "There are reports of a minor disturbance at East New Tech Hospital. Could you check it out?"

"Bridge and I will go." Z answered the call. "We're only a couple of blocks away."

"Let us go." Emma protested. "The two of you just got here, and it's your engagement party."

"Like Z said, we're only a couple of blocks away, and you've already ordered." Bridge said as he waved off the protest.

"Yeah, we'll probably still be back before Sky." Z told them. "We won't be long."

With that, Bridge and Z left, completely unaware how significantly this routine visit would change her life.

They arrived at the hospital a short time later, finding a Latin-American tending the flower beds. Standing up, he towered over both of them, and was extremely muscular. Sweeping his forehead with the back of his glove and adjusting his glasses, he approached them slowly. Nearing them, they could see he had extensive scarring on the right hand side of his face, and his right eye was a milky, glass marble. He addressed them in a soft, gentle voice that seemed completely inappropriate for someone his size.

"Can I help you?" He asked. Z looked at his name tag.

"Dan, we're from SPD. We're here about the disturbance." She began. "Could you take us to the chief of medicine?"

"No problem." He answered. "Just follow me this way."

He led them down the hall towards the elevator. "Dr. Ramsey will be only too happy to help. He gave me this job a few years ago, he's really easy going." Dan told them as they made their way through the building.

"You tend the gardens here?" Bridge asked.

"That's just one of my many jobs." He explained. "I'm a porter here; it can get pretty hairy at times. Sometimes some of the patients can get a little nasty when they're scared. That's probably what the disturbance was."

"We were told it was an assault." Bridge told him. "Do you know anything about that?"

"Some guy on the psych ward started freaking out and had to be restrained." Dan replied. He held up his arms, showing them an extensive collection of bruises. "I got these trying to hold him while they sedated the guy."

"We'll probably need to take a statement later." Z informed him. "If the patient wants to press charges…"

"Do you think it could come to that?" Dan asked as they stepped onto the waiting elevator. "Usually nothing happens with these incidents. No one was hurt too badly."

"That's not really something we can say right now." Bridge answered honestly. "It's really up to the patient."

The elevator stopped and Dan stepped out, with Bridge and Z not far behind him. "This is his office." Dan told them.

"Thanks for your help." Bridge said as they knocked and entered. A grey haired doctor was sitting at his desk studying some case notes as they entered.

"These are two SPD operatives." Dan explained to the doctor.

"There was a report about a violent incident this evening." Bridge explained, shaking the doctor's hand. "I'm Bridge and this is Z."

"I'm Dr. Ramsey." He introduced himself. "Yes, one of our psych ward patients, Mr. Edwards got a little over-excited. No one was seriously hurt, but I thought I should call it in just in case."

"You did the right thing Dr. Ramsey." Z told him. "Can we speak with the patient and anyone else involved?"

"Of course, I'll take you to his ward." He responded. "Thank you Dan, you may return to your duties."

"If you don't mind, we may need to talk to him later." Bridge interjected. "We'd prefer it if he comes with us."

"No problem at all." Dr. Ramsey answered. "Just follow me, it's just this way."

Sky and Syd had arrived at the bar and were sharing a drink with Emma and Frank when Sky's communicator went off.

"You've got Sky here, what can I do for you?" He answered.

"It's Cruger here." The voice came from the other end. "I was calling for Bridge and Z; I just heard the news and wanted to offer them my congratulations."

"They're not here at the moment." Sky told him. "They picked up a call about a disturbance at the hospital and they were closer than I was, so they went to investigate."

"Which hospital?" Cruger asked. Sky was a little confused by this. It was almost as if Cruger was panicking about something.

"East New Tech." Sky answered. "Why?"

"Get out there and gather the information yourself." Cruger commanded. "There's someone there I don't want Z to meet, it's complicated so I can't explain. Just get over there and make sure she leaves."

"Sir?" Sky asked, still completely confused.

"Do it now." He ordered.

With that, Sky gathered his coat and left the bar.

"Some party this is." Frank groaned. "The guests of honour aren't here, and now you're running off."

"We'll be back soon." Sky told him. "Syd, get me another beer."

"I will." She told him. With that, Sky headed for the hospital as quickly as he could.

As they made their way to the ward, Bridge decided to get a few questions out of the way.

"Dan told us you hired him as a porter." He inquired. "When was that?"

"Dan's been on our books as an employee for about five years now." Dr. Ramsey answered. "He was one of our long-term head trauma patients, but when the worst of his symptoms died down a bit, he decided he wanted to pay us back. I had him on as a gardener, but Dan decided he wanted a more active role so I made him a porter."

"I really wanted to pay back all of the doctors and the hospital for everything they've done for me." Dan told them. "I really love working here."

"How did you suffer the injuries?" Bridge asked.

"I was in a car accident many years ago." He told them. "After the huge earthquake back in 2006, the coast was hit by a huge tornado. My wife and I were trying to evacuate with our daughter when I lost control of the car."

"What happened?" Z asked.

"I don't have many memories of that day, but I do remember that the hail was coming down pretty hard." He continued. "Suddenly a hailstone the size of a softball smashed the windscreen. I lost control and hit a building." He sighed at the memory. "I recovered consciousness in here about a week later. The doctors told me that my wife was dead."

"What about your daughter?" Z asked.

"They never found her, but she was only 2 at the time." He told them. "It's unlikely she survived."

"I'm really sorry to hear that." Bridge said sympathetically. "Why were you in long-term care for so long?"

"I'll let Dr Ramsey explain." He told them.

"Dan suffered quite extensive brain injury." He informed them. "As well as having his speech impaired, he also suffered some retrograde and severe anterograde amnesia."

"I'm not really too good with medical terminology." Z replied. "What's the difference?"

"Retrograde amnesia affects the long term memory, meaning the patient loses some of the memories that they had before the accident." He explained.

"I got most of those back." Dan told them.

"Anterograde amnesia leaves the patient unable to, or makes it very difficult for them to form NEW long-term memories." He continued. "At his worst stage, he couldn't remember any new information after about 12 hours."

"I still find it hard to remember sometimes." Dan admitted. "I'm not as bad as I was, but it's still a problem."

"I'm really sorry." Z told him. "That must have been really horrible for you."

"We're here." Dr. Ramsey announced. Moving inside, they made their way over to a patient's bed. "This is Mr. Edwards."

"We heard you were involved in an altercation here today." Z began.

"These fascists cut my medication!" He roared. "I demand something gets done about this!"

"Who started the fight?" Bridge asked, ignoring the man.

"Mr. Edwards lashed out at one of the nurses." Dr. Ramsey told them. "Thank God Dan was here or things could have been worse."

"I want that big lummox charged!" He snarled. "He beat the hell out of me!"

"I only held him down while a doctor sedated him." Dan interjected. "He hurt me worse than I hurt him."

"Lying scumbag!" Mr. Edwards yelled, leaping out of bed and tackling Danny. He sent Z and Bridge flying as he seized Dan by the throat. Z recovered quickest and twisted his arm painfully up his back, pulling out hand cuffs.

"You're under arrest for assault." She stated as she grabbed his other hand and cuffed it too. "We'll have to remand him here because of his condition." Z told the doctor.

"I'll arrange for him to be restrained." He responded, gesturing to Dan. "Go and get one of the orderlies to do that."

Dan, however, wasn't listening. He picked up a small silver chain, inspecting it carefully. It had a small silver Z on it. He sat on the floor, staring at it as memories came flooding back to him. He turned to face Z.

"Is this…is this yours?" He asked nervously.

Z realised her necklace had fallen off during the scuffle. "Yes it is." She replied, reaching out for it. Dan got up, grabbing her by the arms.

"Lizzie, is it really you?" He screamed. "Lizzie!"

"My full name's Elizabeth." She replied. "How could you possibly know that?"

"I know your name for the same reason I remember this necklace, I gave them to you." He answered as Sky arrived. "I'm Danny Delgado."

"My surname's Delgado." She gasped.

"I thought I'd lost you." He sniffed as tears began to flow from his eyes. "You're my daughter."

As Z sat on the bed, completely lost for words, Bridge came over and held her close. Sky just stood with his mouth hanging open in disbelief.


	2. Where has the time gone?

It had taken a while for Z, Bridge and Sky to digest the bombshell that Dan had just dropped on them. The hospital had been able to provide a DNA test which confirmed his claims; there was no denying the fact that he was her father.

"I can't believe it." Z finally managed to breathe gently as she sat in Dr Ramsey's office. She looked over at Danny once more, barely able to think straight. "I've lived my entire life thinking my family were gone, and now I find out my Dad's been living within five miles of me my whole life."

"I don't know what to tell you." Danny began. "This is a huge shock for me too. When I recovered after the accident I was told my wife was dead, and they weren't able to find you. So many people died that day, many of them were never identified. We were sure you had to be among the dead."

"The ones who looked after me always told me they found me during the storm." Z told him. "They found me amongst some wreckage. The city was in so much chaos, they knew I'd end up in care if they handed me in, so they took me in themselves. They lived on the streets in this really caring little community. Everyone looked out for each other, it's the closest thing I ever had to a family." She looked at him, a couple of tears already forming in her eyes. "The only reason I even knew my real name was because it had been stitched into the clothes I was wearing when they found me."

"Your mother, Kendall, did that with all your clothes." Danny said, smiling a little as he remembered his wife. "She was always paranoid of losing things."

"What was she like?" Z asked him. Dan reached into his wallet and pulled out an aging, slightly damaged picture and handed it to her. "She looks just like me." She commented as she looked at the picture thoughtfully.

"She was just a beautiful person in every way." He sighed, recalling her. "She worked in the same florist as I did. I worshipped her from afar for months. I was too nervous to ask her out."

"What happened?" Z asked. "Did she find out?"

"She worked it out, but at first she turned me down." He continued. "She knew I had important commitments at the time, but a few months later, we got together."

"She looks really happy here." Z commented. "Is that me in her arms?"

"Yes." Danny answered. "I took this picture the day your mother got home from the hospital after giving birth."

"What happened to us?" She asked.

"After the Big One of 2006, our house was completely flattened." He told her. "We were put up for the night by a local mission, but we needed a more long-term plan. I called my friend Max in Turtle Cove and asked if we could stay with him for a while. He agreed to put 

us up until we got back on our feet, so we packed up what little we had salvaged from the wreckage and tried to evacuate."

"That's when the tornado hit." Z surmised.

"It was terrifying. So quickly after the earthquake, it was almost as though someone wanted to wipe New Tech off the map." He told her, recalling that fateful day. "The experts say the winds hit 180 miles an hour over New Tech. Your mother kept you inside as long as she could while I loaded the car. The hail varied between the size of marbles to the size of golf balls, and we didn't want you out in that weather any longer than you had to be." He chuckles a little at this memory. "By the time I'd finished loading the car and we'd gotten you into it, I was bruised to hell. I had bruises in places I'd forgotten about."

"So how did the accident happen?" She asked.

"I was on the freeway when it happened." He recalled. "The city had called a state of emergency and shut the freeways, but I managed to get onto it before the cordon went up. Visibility was really bad, but the freeway was clear, so I took the chance to get out. Somewhere on the freeway, the hail got worse and a chunk of ice the size of a softball went straight through the windshield." A few tears formed in his eyes as he continued the story. "I lost control of the car and went through the barrier. I ended up hitting the side of a building."

"What happened after that?" She asked.

"I really don't know." He answered honestly. "The next thing I remember was waking up in hospital. The doctors told me I'd been in a coma for a week. After I recovered consciousness, I spent a long time in intensive care. I needed to learn how to talk again because of the extent of the injuries."

"That must have been awful for you." She said sympathetically, taking his hand. Danny smiled a little as she did this.

"The worst part was my brain still functioned, I just couldn't make words." He explained as he recalled that time. "Some nurse would explain 'This is a knife, this is a fork.' And things like that." He shook his head as he remembered the frustration. "It was so damn patronising. If I wasn't physically unable to say it, I'd have yelled, 'I know it's a God damned fork!' And I'd have suggested where they could put it."

Z laughed a little at this thought. "I can imagine how frustrating that must have been." She told him.

"It was almost worse when I could talk." He told her. "The first question I asked was..."

"Where's my family?" Z concluded. Danny nodded.

"They told me what had happened and it tore me apart." He recalled. "I wished I hadn't survived and had gone with you."

"I always wished I could know more about what happened to me." Z told him. "The leader of my community only said he'd found me among the wreckage. He saw my parents, but he said he was sure they were dead."

"I'm grateful someone looked after you." He replied. "I could never have dreamed that I'd see you. All grown up, and a Power Ranger? How did that happen?"

"It's kind of a long story." Z chuckled. "I was caught stealing clothes for the homeless, and the base commander, Cruger, decided to give Jack and me the opportunity to join SPD instead of going to jail."

"Cruger!" He called out with excitement. "I knew that old dog couldn't retire. How is he? Is he still there?"

"Actually he transferred to central command when the Supreme Commander retired." Sky interjected, reminding Z and Danny that he and Bridge were still in the room. They couldn't blame them, but Danny and Z had sort of zoned out and forgotten anyone else was there. "I'm now the base commander. Sky Tate."

Danny shook him warmly by the hand, with a huge grin on his face. "Little Sky Tate? God, I haven't seen you since you were in diapers." He yelled in his excitement. "I left the base before you were crawling."

"Of course, you must have worked at SPD." Bridge said, smacking his forehead with the palm of his hand. "You must have been on the research team. That's how Z got her powers."

"I wouldn't say I was on the research team." He laughed at the memory. "Science was more Kendall's strong suit than mine. I was kind of the guinea pig for the morphers to see how they worked on humans."

"What made them choose you?" Bridge asked.

"I had experience in the matter." He told them. "Surely you've seen my portrait in that museum Doggie set up."

"The Ranger hall of Legend?" Sky asked.

"That's the one." He announced. "The picture was taken a long time ago, but surely my face isn't messed up that bad that I don't look like my portrait."

"Your picture isn't anywhere in there." Sky told him. "I must have been down there a million times. There's no Danny Delgado."

Danny looked a little confused. "But I was the Iron Bison." He explained. "The Black Wild Force Ranger."

Z looked away, recalling the tour. "I was in there today." She stated. "There was no picture or name for the Black Wild Force Ranger."

Sky pulled out his communicator, keying in the appropriate frequency. "Scott, are you still there?" He asked. He looked over to Danny. "Scott works in archives." He explained.

"Sky, do you know what time it is?" He asked. "It's almost midnight!" He groaned loudly, clearly unhappy at having been woken up. "What can I do for you?"

"Can you access the archive files from home?" He asked.

"Of course I can." He answered. "What are you looking for?"

"Is there a picture for someone named Danny Delgado?" He asked.

Scott pulled up the files on his lap top. "There is, it's in storage." He told him. "It was taken out of the Ranger Hall of Legend on 17 May 2025."

"17 May?" Z shot out. "Are you sure?"

"It says so right here." He answered.

"That's the day I started working at SPD!" She shrieked. "Who took it down?"

Scott pulled up the file and scrolled through it. "It's removal was ordered by Commander Cruger." He informed them.

"Why would Doggie want to take down the picture?" Bridge thought out loud.

"I wouldn't know." Danny responded.

Bridge suddenly remembered the time. "Shoot! We ditched the others in the pub a couple of hours ago! We've got to get back!"

"Just tell them I'm sorry." Z announced. "I want to spend some more time with my dad."

"You can't just ditch them." Bridge reminded her. "It is our engagement party after all."

"You're engaged?" Danny shrieked. Z nodded and showed him her ring. "Bridge proposed to me last night."

"I've missed out on so much of your life." He sighed. Suddenly his eyebrows shot up as he realised Bridge's identity. "Little Bridge Carson?" He asked.

"Yeah." Bridge answered.

"Does your dad still run that little Deli?" He asked.

"He does." Bridge answered him. "He keeps saying he'll retire one day, but everyone else says..."

"He'll cater his own funeral." Danny interrupted him. "We used to say the same thing. He loves that place! I can't believe little Bridge grew up and is going to marry my little girl. I guess now's when I'm supposed to ask if your intentions are honourable."

"They are sir; I love your daughter very much." He told him.

"I'll still be here tomorrow." Danny told her. "You young things go out and have a good time, you can come back tomorrow."

"I promise...dad." Z answered, kissing him on the cheek. "We'll come back tomorrow."

With that, they left the hospital, all the while trying to figure out exactly how they were going to explain their extended absence to their friends. How could they, even they weren't sure what had just happened.

The next day, Z and Bridge made their way back to the hospital, finding Danny outside. Z approached him with a huge smile on her face, excited at the prospect of spending the entire day with her dad. She never would have thought she'd ever get the chance to do that.

"Hi there dad, can you get off for a few hours?" Z asked him. Danny turned around, though rather than being happy, his face showed only confusion. Z felt her heart sink in her chest as he said those devastating words.

"I think you have me confused with someone else." He answered. "We've never met before."

"Dad, how can you say that?" She gasped, a couple of tears beginning to form. "We met last night! It's me, Lizzie, remember?"

"How do you know my daughter's name?" He screamed at her, clearly getting quite upset. "What kind of scam are you pulling? How dare you use her name?"

"I am your daughter!" Z yelled back at him, pulling out her Z necklace. "You gave me this when I was a baby. You told me all about the accident. We talked for almost three hours last night!"

Danny looked away, sinking to his knees as though someone had pulled his guts out. The expression on his face was one of shock and disbelief. "You're my Lizzie?"

"I am." Z whimpered, coming over to him and placing a hand on his shoulder. Danny whipped her hand away and turned to face her.

"I'm sorry; I really don't remember any of it." Danny sighed.

Z ran from the hospital grounds in tears, closely followed by Bridge, stopping at a bench a short way down the road from the hospital.

"He doesn't remember me!" She wailed as Bridge caught up to her, hugging her tightly. "I've just got my dad back after all these years and he doesn't even remember me."


	3. A Confession A Long Time Coming

Bridge eventually calmed Z down enough to convince her to return to the hospital to talk more with Danny and Dr. Ramsey. Heading to Dr. Ramsey's office, they found him there with Danny, showing him security footage of the previous evening. Given the expression on his face, it was obvious that he was in shock at seeing what happened. He looked down at his arms, noting his injuries from the struggle with the psychiatric patient the previous evening.

"I can't believe I didn't remember." He gasped at the realisation. "Something this huge, I thought I'd have remembered, but I just didn't."

"Your symptoms haven't been bad lately, but your condition still exists, you know that." Dr. Ramsey told him. "You shouldn't feel bad about it."

Danny turned to look at Z, inspecting her thoughtfully. "Lizzie, I'm so sorry, I would never have meant to upset you."

"I can't say it didn't hurt." Z told him, holding him closely. "It must be awful for you; at least I only had to deal with the shock of finding you once."

Danny held his head in his hands in frustration at his condition. "It still really gets to me when this happens." He began. "It's like, It's like someone erases things that I should know before I get a chance to remember them." A few tears formed in his eyes as he thought about this.

"You don't forget everything, right?" Z asked him. "Dr. Ramsey himself told you that your symptoms aren't as serious as they used to be."

"But it's what it feels like until you break through that fog that hurts." Danny told her. "Do you know how long I asked about you and your mother?"

"Dad, you shouldn't upset yourself." Z said soothingly. "It's not your fault…"

"One year, two months, a week and four days." He interrupted her. "Every morning for over a year, I'd ask what happened to you, and every day I lost you all over again. I just couldn't remember that you were gone, every time I found out, it was the first time I heard all over again."

"I'm so sorry." Z sighed. "I had no idea what it must have been like for you."

"Sir, do you remember anything about last night?" Bridge asked him.

"Hardly anything." Danny answered. "It's really all just a complete mist to me."

"Well Z and I will do anything we can to help you through this." Bridge responded. "You're family, and nothing's more important than that."

"Lizzie, are you married to this man?" Danny asked her.

Z had to try hard to hold back a few tears, but she managed to answer. "No dad, but we're engaged." She answered. "This is Bridge."

"Bridge Carson." Bridge introduced himself again. "My dad used to work with you at SPD headquarters."

"That's right, little Bridge, I haven't seen you in years." Danny answered, until he glanced at the monitor, noticing Bridge in the frame. "Well, not exactly years. How is the old man?"

"He and mom are doing fine." Bridge told him. "He keeps talking about retirement, but we know he probably never will."

"It would be a shame if he did, his matzo was amazing!" Danny recalled fondly. "I remember at your Brit milah I ate so much of it I could barely move. He used to love that Deli. We always said…"

"He'd cater his own funeral." Bridge interrupted with a smile. "We still say that about him."

Danny put an arm around Z, holding her closely. "I'm really sorry about this; I know it must be a disappointment to find out…"

"I could never be disappointed." Z interrupted him. "I've wished to know my family for my entire life, and now I finally have my dad."

"Things might not get better for quite a while." Danny told her. "I have no idea when the memory of you will sink in, I couldn't possibly tell you that."

"It doesn't matter." Z replied, looking deep into his eyes. "I've found you now, and I'm not letting you go that easily. Whatever it takes, we'll be here for you."

"We both will." Bridge interjected.

Danny just took Bridge's hand in a warm handshake. "I have a feeling I couldn't wish for a better son-in-law." He commented.

Sky was sitting in his office, working through some paperwork when his intercom buzzed. He thought this was curious, as he'd always been a little less formal and more approachable than Cruger had been during his tenure; he very much operated an open-door policy. As long as people knocked before entering, he didn't mind, so it puzzled him to think who could be using his intercom system to announce themselves.

"Who is it?" Sky asked his secretary.

"It's Supreme Commander Cruger to see you." She responded. Sky furrowed his brow at hearing this. Why would Cruger want to see him? He didn't have an appointment, and he hadn't sent any advanced notification. Sky tried to think if there was something he'd forgotten as he buzzed the secretary back. "Send him through Tracey." Sky instructed her. As Cruger entered his office, Sky stood and saluted him.

"At ease Sky, I'm not here on business." Cruger told him. "Are Bridge and Z around?"

"They're visiting someone at the hospital." Sky informed him. "Sir, if you don't mind me asking, what's this all about?"

"It's a personal matter Sky; I'd rather discuss it with Z in person." He responded. "Now, if you don't mind, I've had a long journey. Is there somewhere I can freshen up?"

"You can use my quarters." Sky told him, handing him his key card. "You remember where it is."

"I did use to stay there myself." He reminded Sky, accepting it gracefully. "Tell Z and Bridge I want to see them when they get back."

"I will sir." Sky replied as Cruger left. He couldn't help feeling like something wasn't right.

Early in the evening, Sky, Syd, Emma and Frank were sitting in the recreation room, exchanging a few old stories and laughs with Cruger.

"So at least we have some Olivers in SPD." Cruger concluded his anecdote to the amusement of Emma and Frank. "It always was a disappointment when your father turned us down. If it wasn't for his contribution, we wouldn't have the Zords."

"Or the Ranger Hall of Legend." Frank chipped in. "Dad told us it was based on his video log."

"Doggie!" Z yelled with excitement as she and Bridge entered. Entirely forgetting protocol, she sprinted across the room, hugging him. "Did you get my message?"

"That was why I came." Cruger replied, hugging her back and chuckling at the rather unorthodox greeting. "Congratulations Z." He extended a hand to Bridge. "Bridge, I always thought you two would end up together. I wish you all the best."

"You could have just called us." Bridge commented. "We'd have understood."

"Bridge, he obviously wanted to give me his answer in person." Z reminded him. "Look, Doggie, I'm really sorry, but something unexpected has come up."

"Doggie began stroking his temple as Z continued. Z began shifting awkwardly and stroking her neck nervously.

"I told you you've been like a father to me, the closest thing I've ever had to a dad, and I wanted you to give me away." Her voice trailed off as she tried to explain. "But last night I found out something amazing that's changed things..."

"You found out your father's still alive." Cruger interrupted softly. Everyone in the room stared at him in disbelief.

"How could you possibly have known about that?" Z gasped.

A thought suddenly crossed Sky's mind at this. "You said there was someone you didn't want Z to meet there," he snapped in an accusing tone as he leapt to his feet and pointed at his superior officer, "you knew all along!"

"Is that true?" Z asked, feeling the revelation descend on her.

"I'm afraid it is." Cruger admitted gently. "SPD has been paying for his treatment since the accident. We've always known exactly where he was."

Z pulled away from him in disgust. "What?"

Cruger steeled himself for the next part. "When we found Danny, we felt a duty to take care of him. We all believed you'd died, but as soon as soon as Sky, Syd and Bridge told us they'd encountered a man and woman with special abilities, we knew who you had to be."

"So you just didn't bother telling me...?"

"The Landors were among the confirmed casualties of the 2006 Big One." Cruger continued. "But we knew you were Danny's daughter."

"So why the hell didn't you tell me?" She roared. "Did you somehow get some great pleasure out of keeping me within five miles of my only family but never telling me? Did you get a kick out of the fact I bonded with you despite you being the only one stopping me finding my dad?"

"It wasn't like that." Cruger answered. "We knew how hard Danny's condition could be on you."

"She had a right to know!" Bridge snapped, surprising everyone by his insubordination.

"She had a right to know." Cruger agreed. "But we didn't think it was in your best interests to know. As soon as we confirmed your identity, I had Danny's picture and profile removed from the Ranger Hall of Legend."

"I can't believe you'd do that!" Syd snapped at him. "I know what it did to me when I found out about my parents. You could have prevented all of this."

"It was an impossible situation for everyone involved." He answered. "Just like the situation with your parents."

"You knew about that too?" Syd sighed as she pulled closer to Sky. Cruger felt his heart tighten within his chest as the Rangers closed in around each other in unity, glaring at him intently.

"We all did what we thought was best." Cruger told them. "We tried to protect you. You were all like family to us, to me!"

Z choked back some tears as she stepped forward, glaring at him hatefully. "You must have been laughing at me all along." She hissed aggressively. "I can't believe this. I trusted you! 

I depended on you! I wasn't lying to you when I said you were like a father to me." Her voice cracked a little under the strain. "I asked you to give me away, but you'd done that already hadn't you? Have you ever respected me?"

"Z, I..."

"Save it sir." Z interrupted him, slamming her morpher down on the table. "I'm out of here; I can't trust anything you've ever said to me." With that she stormed form the room. Bridge got up slowly, producing his morpher and placing it on the table next to Z's.

"You should have told her." He put down flatly. "I'm going with her."

Next, Syd threw her own morpher onto the table and ran from the room. Sky got up next, presenting his morpher to Cruger.

"I used to respect you!" He remarked, handing over his morpher. "Now, I don't even know you."

As Sky left, Emma and Frank looked at each other thoughtfully for a minute.

"Everyone else has had their say, feel free." Cruger stated as he hung his head low. Emma and Frank just wordlessly put their morphers on the table and walked out of the room. Kat arrived a short time later.

"I see things went well." She commented, noting the morphers on the table.

"Not exactly." Cruger sighed.

"How did you think this would go?" Kat asked him.

"I never wanted this to happen." Cruger told her. "They're my kids! I only wanted to do what's best for them."

"Well you've protected them real well." Kat replied sarcastically. "You've protected them right out the door."


	4. Cold Light of Day

A/N: Sorry it took a while to update this, I kind of got sidetracked on another project. Hopefully it won't be long until I conclude this, but no promises.

Z was a little confused as she woke up the following morning. Although she could remember her argument with Cruger, and she remembered walking out of SPD, she couldn't recognise the room she woke up in.

Looking around, it was a little smaller than the dorm room she shared with Syd, and considerably more cluttered. An assortment of toys and half-built gadgets littered most of the floor. Looking around the walls, they were covered in science-fiction themed wallpaper covered with monsters and space ships which matched the bed linen on the bed she was lying in. She looked across to a small desk in the corner of the room. A computer sat on the desk, which appeared to be connected to a waffle-iron, a toaster and a coffee maker. She chuckled as she remembered where she was. She was in Bridge's old room.

Sky had gone to his mom's place to stay when they left, and Syd had gone back to her parents, but it was only then that Z realised that she didn't have anywhere else to go to. Naturally, it was down to her fiancé to find her somewhere to stay, and in the absence of a better plan he had taken her to his parent's place. Mr and Mrs Carson had not been expecting company, but they had been only too happy to open their door to Bridge and his fiancée.

He had introduced them to her while they had been dating, but due to how quickly everything had happened, Bridge hadn't had a chance to tell them they were engaged before he turned up, unemployed and homeless in the early evening with her. They had all agreed that it would be best to wait until the morning before any explanations were exchanged. Z was grateful for the comfortable bed and fresh night clothing she had been leant by her temporary landlords, though she was still sure that there were awkward conversations to be had. It wasn't every day an entire team of SPD rangers upped and left the complex. She felt bad about giving up her responsibilities as a Ranger, but she couldn't stay after she found out what Doggie had done. How dare he keep her father from her? How dare he not tell her what had happened? She had a right to know! A right of birth!

A horrible pain crept into her chest as she wiped some tears from her eyes, thinking about it again. Cruger had taken her in when she was on the streets. He had given her so much, taught her so much, she had grown to respect, and in certain aspects, even love him. He was the closest thing she'd ever had to a father. She had always been so happy to see him. That was why it hurt her so badly when she found out about his betrayal.

The one thing she wanted her entire life, Doggie had cruelly kept from her at arm's length. He hadn't just known about Danny's existence, he had actively kept it from her. He'd gone to such great lengths to hide him from her. He'd even gone so far as to remove his picture and his profile from the Ranger Hall of Legend. Danny had given his heart and soul, and on several occasions almost given his LIFE for the sake of his planet, and Doggie had denied him the acknowledgement of his rightful place in history. Lost in thought, she didn't even notice the door opening, heralding her fiancé's arrival. Bridge came in, as ever, carrying a handful of buttery toast.

"Morning sunshine." He greeted her, offering her toast. "I wasn't sure if you'd want to face my folks yet, so I thought I'd bring you breakfast in bed."

Z smiled at him, sweeping away a few tears. "Thanks Bridge." She responded, taking a few slices. "That's really sweet. Of course I could have just used the computer."

Bridge looked over at the uniquely butchered amalgam of PC and kitchen appliances. "It's probably just as well you didn't." He chuckled, recalling building the contraption. "It's the first upgrade I attempted; I did it when I was 13, a couple of years before I joined the SPD academy."

"I take it the experiment wasn't a success." She surmised, taking his hand in her own gently. Bridge recalled the day of the grand unveiling with a smile.

"Let's just say there's a good reason my bedroom wallpaper was replaced." He chuckled. "Mom screamed at me for hours after that. I don't spend a lot of time here, so I've never had the opportunity to refine it."

"How are your parents?" She asked.

Bridge sat down on the end of her bed, looking at her a little sadly. "They want to know what we plan to do now."

Z sighed and dropped his hand, bringing her knees up to her chest and hugging them, rocking gently. "I have no idea." She replied. "I can't go back, I just can't."

"I understand that." He told her, placing an arm around the woman he loved, gently stroking her back reassuringly. He grabbed her left hand and played with her ring, reminding her of it's presence. "I'm here for you. I know we've not made the promise yet, but I'm pretty sure this comes under 'for better and for worse'. Wouldn't you say?"

Z smiled at him, squeezing his hand gently. "I love you." She said softly, kissing him.

"I love you too." He replied. "Now, I guess I need to go and get us a newspaper. We really need to get onto the jobs page."

"I guess we do." She sighed. "It's just a shame I left all my clothes..." Her words were interrupted as Bridge presented her with a pair of jeans and a t-shirt.

"My mom kept all my clothes from when I was a teenager." He explained. "These will probably be the best fit for you."

Z pulled him in, kissing her husband-to-be once more. She couldn't wish for someone better to look after her.

Syd came down to the main dining room for breakfast, finding her parents sitting at the table reading the morning papers.

"Have you calmed down yet?" Her dad asked her. "Maybe you can go and straighten things out with Doggie."

"Straighten things out with him?" She replied coldly. "How could I possibly forgive him for what he did to Z? What he did to me?"

"You forgave us didn't you?" Her dad asked. "You forgave us just like you forgave Kimberly and David."

"That was different." She grumbled with a pout as she poured herself some coffee. "You were all in an impossible situation when you found out about me."

"Just like Cruger was." Her mother commented. "He was one of the ones who helped find you. He couldn't have told you without betraying our confidence, which is something he'd never have done."

Sydney cursed her mother for her logic. She knew her mom had a point about that. Of course he couldn't have said anything about her true parentage. "He still should have told Z about her dad." She snapped.

"Do you know anything about Danny Delgado?" Her dad asked her. "We worked alongside him for years; he was a good friend of ours."

Syd's mouth hung open in disbelief. "You knew too?"

"Of course we knew." Her dad informed her. "Danny was good friends with everyone on the research team. We all knew him, and we were all briefed about his accident."

"Did you not think Z had a right to know?" Syd roared, by now losing her temper with her parents.

"By the time any of us found out she was still alive, she was already working for SPD." Mrs. Drew responded. "Cruger warned us about the situation and asked us not to say anything."

"Have you met Danny yourself?" Mr. Drew asked her. Sydney shook her head. "The man suffers from anterograde amnesia. It's heart breaking to see what he's like now."

"So he forgets a few things, big deal!" Sydney snapped. "He's her dad!"

"It's more than forgetting a few things." Her mother told her, a few tears forming at the memory. "I was the first one he asked about Kendell."

"Who's Kendell?" Syd asked her.

"Kendell was his wife." Mr. Drew answered. "She died in the accident when he suffered his injury."

"It broke his heart when I told him." Mrs. Drew sobbed at the recollection. "He was devoted to his wife and his little girl. It destroyed him when we told him."

"Of course, we only realised how bad it was when we went back the next day." Mr. Drew took over, comforting his wife with a hug. "He asked us again."

Syd slumped a little into her chair, her face drained of all colour. "He didn't remember?" She breathed.

"He couldn't form any new memories, and his wife died before he regained consciousness, so he didn't know she was dead." Mr. Drew explained. "Every time he was told it was like the first time he'd heard and he was heartbroken all over again."

"Doggie told us it would be easier on Danny if we stopped seeing him." Mrs. Drew continued. "All of us agreed not to see him again until his condition got significantly better."

"By the time his memory started improving, most of us didn't know what to say or do." Her dad continued. "It's been almost sixteen years since most of us have seen him now."

"How could you abandon him like that?" Syd snapped at them. "He was your friend!"

"A friend who couldn't remember we'd visited even a few hours later." He replied gently. "By the time his memory improved, most of us felt too awkward to go and see him. We didn't know how he'd be."

"What's happened since Z found out?" Her mother asked her.

"Z went to see him the following day…" Her voice trailed off as she remembered Bridge explaining what had happened at the hospital. Syd being her usual self had commented on the fact Z's mascara had run, and Bridge had to fill the rest of the guys in. Her shoulders slumped. "He didn't remember her."

"Doggie always planned to tell her, he just wanted to save her from something like this happening." Mrs. Drew explained. "Can you blame him for looking out for her?"

Sydney tried to answer, but couldn't. Her mother had a point.

"In hindsight it might not have been the best of ideas. Maybe it was a mistake not to tell her, but he did what he thought was right for Z." Mr Drew finished. "There isn't exactly a handbook for dealing with these situations; can you blame him for misjudging it?"

Emma and Frank woke up in their parent's home in the early afternoon. Their parents still lived in Las Vegas, so it had taken them quite a while to make their way home. Getting up, they made their way into the living room, finding their dad sitting at the table with a cup of coffee.

"Why aren't you at the school?" Emma asked him.

"It's Saturday." He reminded her. "So, are you two going to explain why you walked out on the jobs you worked so hard for?"

"It was a point of principal dad." Frank explained. "He's lied to his team about almost everything about them, how could we ever trust him after that?"

"You're being a bit judgemental aren't you?" Their mother asked as she arrived in the room, coming back up from the sound studio in their basement. "Do you know anything about what happened?"

"The others explained everything." Emma answered. Frank and Tommy exchanged a little glance and prepared to duck for cover. Emma had inherited Kira's temper, so when the two of them had an argument it was best to stay out of the way to avoid becoming a casualty. "He lied to them about where their powers came from. He lied to Syd about her parents, and he lied about Z's dad."

"First of all, young lady, no-one shouts at me in my own house!" Kira snapped in return, placing her hands on her hips defiantly. Emma shrunk away a little. She knew she'd stepped over the line with her mother. "Secondly, he never lied about anything."

"Well he didn't tell the truth." Emma muttered, hoping not to rouse her mother's anger again. Tommy smiled a little at this. It was funny to see how their grown-up daughter would still back down when she knew she'd gone over the line with her mother.

"He couldn't have." Kira said a little more gently. "With their powers, it was difficult enough explaining to them that they were different without explaining how it had happened. You two remember us teaching you about your powers don't you? How you felt about being different? At least you knew we had the same abilities and had gone through it too. They had to go through it by themselves. Telling them it happened because their parents were guinea pigs for the morphing technology they would end up working with would hardly have been helpful."

"Well I suppose that wasn't so bad, but what about what happened with Syd?" Emma retorted.

"It would have been bad enough telling her she was adopted." Kira stated bluntly. "How do you really think they could have told her she was kidnapped and sold before she could walk?"

"She handled it ok." Emma retorted.

"She handled it ok when she was 19." Tommy interjected. "Even then she only handled it because she had a lot of supportive friends around her. She was 13 when this whole business came out. It would have destroyed her."

"We never told you that part." Frank said thoughtfully. "How did you know about that?"

"We're good friends with David and Kimberly." He told them. "We knew all about her past."

"I thought you told us Kimberly was the only one of the original team who wasn't at your wedding." Emma pointed out. "How did you meet up again?"

"I knew Kimberly in high school. We lost contact for a few years, but we met up again shortly before her son Joe was born."

"But she was pregnant with her son while she was being held captive." Emma recalled from what Syd had told her. "So when…?"

"If you must know, it's because I was kidnapped too." Kira informed the twins. Both Emma and Frank took a seat as she said this. "I was kidnapped when I was pregnant with you."

"Then we…"

"The two of you were almost victims too." She continued. "We never told you because everything worked out, but if it wasn't for your dad and his friends, the two of you could have ended up being sold."

"I can't believe you never told us." Emma gasped. "Mom, I…"

"It's alright Emma." She whispered, putting an arm around each of her shocked children. "Just remember, sometimes it's best not saying anything. It isn't a malicious thing."

"What about what happened with Danny?" Emma asked. "What's the story there?"

"I never really knew Danny." Tommy admitted. "I heard a bit about him, and I met him in passing once, but I never really knew much about his situation. I can't really comment on what happened with him."

"Personally I'd trust Cruger." Kira told them. "He's never done anything to harm those around him. His heart's in the right place."

"So when are you going back to New Tech?" Tommy asked them.

"Do you really think Doggie will have us back?" Emma quizzed him. "I mean, we did walk out and everything."

"Something tells me he will." Tommy commented. "If anything he'll probably respect the fact you stood by your team mates."

Later that evening, Frank and Emma arrived back in New Tech, making their way to the bar Sky's mom owned. Arriving there, they found Syd sitting in a corner alone, slowly drinking a cocktail. They came over and sat in the booth with her.

"We're glad you came." They greeted her as they took their seats. "How are things?"

"Not as clear cut as they used to be." Syd admitted. "Mom and dad explained a few things about Danny's dad that kind of made me understand what Doggie did."

"Mom and dad told us a few things that made us re-think our position on full disclosure." Frank commented. "We're seriously thinking of asking Doggie if we can go back, but we wanted to see Bridge and Z first, you know, just to make sure they didn't hear it from someone else."

"I was thinking much the same." Sydney replied. "Thinking about it, I can't believe we all just walked out and left the base undefended."

"What about Sky?" Emma asked her. "What's he planning on doing?"

"I've talked to him, and he understands my position, I think he wants to go back too." She responded, gesturing over to the bar where Sky was rushing around like a madman, trying to fulfil orders for all the impatient patrons. "I don't know whether it's just because his mom's making him tend the bar though, he hates working here."

Bridge and Z arrived a short time later, taking their seats. "So what are you guys up to?" Z asked them. "I've been finding out what I'm qualified for, and it doesn't make for pleasant reading."

"I'm trying my luck with situations vacant too." Bridge interjected. "Hopefully it won't be too long before we're not relying on mom and dad for handouts."

"So what did you guys want to talk about?" Z inquired. "It sounded important on the phone."

The others looked at each other awkwardly for a few minutes. They didn't quite know how to approach the subject with her.

"We understand how upset you are, and we can't blame you." Syd began. "I've known you for a long time…"

"You're going back." Z interrupted her coldly. "I can't believe this!"

"Z it's nothing personal." Emma told her. "We feel bad about leaving the base undefended. We don't think what Cruger did was right but…"

"Save it!" She snapped getting up. "Thank for nothing! I guess you've made sure Cruger got what he wanted. I'm on my own!"

With that, she stormed out of the bar, followed closely by Bridge. He gave them a slightly apologetic look as he left; obviously he didn't hold it against them as much as she did, though they could understand him going with her. They didn't feel good about the way she left, but at least she hadn't heard it from someone else. They just couldn't help being upset that she thought they didn't support her, or that they had betrayed her. Not one more word was spoken between them for the rest of the night. Tomorrow was not going to be an easy day.

Tomorrow, they'd have to look Cruger in the face.


	5. Cruger's Atonement

The next morning, Kat found Cruger sitting by himself in the mess hall eating breakfast. No one on the base knew the full sorry story behind their departure, but since the Rangers left so abruptly with no explanation, rumours abounded as to what he had done to cause their sudden departure, or why he had been forced to temporarily assigning himself to the base. To say that he had become something of a pariah would be an understatement; most were now actively avoiding him unless he directly approached them with a direct order. It reminded her so much of his darkest hour, that really hard time he went through when she first knew him, that she couldn't help feeling sorry for him.

Breathing a sigh as she realised that she would once again be putting herself in danger of isolation by standing by her good friend of many years, she made her way over to his table and placed down her tray. Doggie barely glanced up as she arrived, pulling out her chair.

"I would ask if I can sit here, but something tells me you're not expecting company." She sighed as she sat down. "Could you pass the salt?"

Cruger shoved the cruet set across the table to her. Kat accepted them and began seasoning her eggs.

"You know, you might want to talk." She suggested.

"I'm fine." He replied gruffly.

"I suppose that's why you haven't eaten one bite of your muesli since you arrived." She said sarcastically. "Your bowl's full and now it's gone soggy."

Cruger pushed the bowl away from himself, before finally looking up at his long time friend. "I'm going to contact the Rangers." He told her.

"Well it's about time." She breathed, throwing her hands up in the air. "You know I..."

"I'm going to contact them to get them back to the base. Earth needs them." He interrupted. "I need to do whatever it takes to get them back."

"The stand-ins are willing to take the strain." Kat reminded him. "It's not as if we need them back immediately, don't..."

"Please Kat, three of them are active reserve, and Scott and Colin are both in their Forties and already overstretched with their own personal commitments." He snapped in response. "It's me they don't trust, if that's the problem, than it's time to remove that obstacle."

"Doggie, please, I want you to think about this." She implored him as she realised where this was heading. "SPD..."

"Will run perfectly well in my absence," he interrupted, "if that's what it takes to get them to come back, I'll resign with immediate effect."

As Doggie got up and walked away, Kat watched him go with a concerned look on her face. Cruger had dedicated his life to SPD. It was everything to him, and it pained her to see him this way. Everyone was sure he'd serve SPD as long as he could make a contribution, and retire with the honour and dignity that befitted his years of service and dedication. Yet, here he was, preparing to walk out in disgrace to save the very base he'd built from the ground up.

She pushed her plate away from herself, no longer feeling any kind of appetite as her tears began to fall down her face. Her heart was breaking for him. He loved SPD and his Rangers so much; he was preparing to sacrifice his good name for them. His name deserved to go down in history, not be flushed down the toilet.

Z was beginning her new job, and realising exactly how much she hated it. She had found that because her high-school grades were less-than-impressive, she wasn't really qualified to do a lot outside of SPD, where Doggie had always vouched for her abilities whenever her background became an issue. However, here outside of SPD, that little piece of paper was all any employer cared about, and so she'd had to accept a job labouring on a building site. It wasn't glamorous, and the work was hard, but at least she could now repay the Carsons for putting her up in their home, while she and Bridge looked for somewhere else to live.

Throwing down a sack of concrete, she groaned as yet another builder made a smart-ass crack about her. She'd already been wolf-whistled and cat-called more times than she cared to be. Because of her years of training, she was easily as capable physically as all of the other workers, but at present she was the only female worker, and so she was the sole form of amusement for the testosterone-fuelled Neanderthals that formed most of the work force. Her foreman had already pulled her aside and warned her when she answered some of them back to explain that it was something she'd have to accept in order to keep the peace if she wanted to keep working there. Although her anger burned inside her, she'd had to swallow her pride and get on with it. It wasn't as if her employment prospects were looking great.

She pulled off her glove, and unravelled the masking tape she was required to wrap around her engagement ring, playing with it to give herself an emotional boost to ease her unhappiness as she reminded herself why she was doing all of this. She brought her thoughts back to Bridge.

He had found his employment prospects a little better because of his IT and engineering qualifications and had been hired by a local firm as a trouble shooter, while he also advertised his services to build and repair PCs on the side. They'd had a long talk about it, and had resigned themselves to the fact that his earning potential was greater than hers. They hoped that by working steadily, they would soon be able to afford an apartment for themselves, even though it meant that they would hardly see each other. Putting her glove back on and getting back to work, she hoped that it would all work out for them. It wasn't fair what happened to her.

She hated Cruger for everything he had done. This was his fault. Just a few days ago, she had been doing a job she loved, a job she was good at, and a job where she was respected by her peers and that had all been torn from her by his betrayal. There was no way she could continue to work under him. It was bad enough they still had to accept his money to pay for Danny's care. They simply couldn't afford to pay his medical bills, and so had swallowed their pride and accepted SPD continuing to pay for his medical bills. On principal, Z would have had nothing to do with SPD or Cruger, but she needed that money.

"Delgado, there's someone to see you, make it quick!" Her foreman called out, brining her attention back to the here and now. Turning around, she found Syd, Sky, Emma and Frank standing before her in their uniforms.

"I see you've already accepted the thirty pieces of silver." She hissed coldly, turning away from them.

"Z, that's not fair!" Sky snapped. "We're your friends; we'd never turn our backs on you."

"You already did!" She screamed at him, turning on him and approaching him intently. Emma and Syd stepped between them to keep them separated. Z sighed and stepped away a little. "I guess you SPD Rangers stick together. Thanks for showing me where your loyalties lie. Now, if you'll excuse me, I've got things to do."

"Z, we haven't even talked to Cruger yet, we wanted to straighten things out with you first." Frank explained. "We told you because we didn't want you to think we did this behind your back. We've all heard some things that made us think about what Cruger..."

"You know what daddy's boy, being a Ranger may be important to you, but it isn't to me, not anymore!" She interrupted him aggressively. Frank stepped back a little, a hurt look crossing his face. He'd never played on his parent's name since he'd arrived at SPD specifically because he wanted to make it on his own merit. Suggesting otherwise was just a low blow. "Also, things are pretty clear. You've chosen Doggie over me. Thanks a lot! I guess we were never really friends."

"Z, stop feeling sorry for yourself and listen for a minute!" Emma screamed at her, rounding on her friend. "We didn't choose Cruger over you, we still don't think what he did was right, but we're not going to leave earth in the lurch!"

"Z, we're not civilians, we're Rangers!" Sky snapped in response. "We'll always be your friends, but Earth needs the Rangers, and we're the best people for the job. We're not going to leave earth vulnerable by walking out on SPD because you don't like Cruger."

"Z, we've been friends and roommates for a long time." Syd reminded her. "It's really important to me you understand our decision."

"I understand." Z breathed, wiping away a few tears. "I know why you want to go back, and in some ways I admire that, you're my friend, but I can't go back. You understand, don't you? It's just not my place any more. I don't think I could ever feel right going back."

"We never expected you to forgive him." Sky replied. "But we still hope you face up to who you are. You and Bridge are Rangers. This life, this building site will never make you happy. It's not who you are!"

"It is now." She answered as she turned from them and headed off back to work. It pained them to see their friend so unhappy. She wasn't living; she was just existing. The only consolation they could take from the conversation was that at least she understood their point of view, and at least she still thought of them as friends. They'd achieved that much at least.

Cruger had just finished sorting out his paper work in the office before he prepared to head out to find the Rangers. Kat knocked the door, and appeared in the doorway before he could leave.

"You really should use the intercom." He reminded her.

"I'm sorry; Sky runs an open door policy here." She replied with a shrug. "I guess it's just a force of habit."

"It's not Sky's office anymore." Cruger stated.

"Have you replaced me already?" Sky asked coming into the room. He was followed closely by Emma, Frank and Syd.

"We've all come to talk to you." Syd began. "I was upset about you knowing about my family situation, but I understand why you didn't say anything. You were in as impossible a situation as my parents."

"We heard a few home truths from mom and dad that made us re-evaluate our attitude to non-disclosure." Emma continued. "We understand that sometimes it's better to say nothing. It couldn't have been easy for you."

"We won't lie to you, we think what you did to Z and her dad was wrong, and we don't forgive you." Sky explained. "But we can understand your position, and we realise that leaving SPD would only unnecessarily weaken earth. We're all prepared to come back."

"I couldn't be prouder of any of you." He sighed, getting up from his desk. "You are all re-assigned to your positions with immediate effect. Earth is lucky to have you."

"Thank you sir." Sky responded with a salute. Cruger returned the gesture, before heading out the door. The four Rangers headed out into the hall, confused by his departure.

"Where are you going?" Emma asked.

"I'm still two Rangers short." He replied. "I'm going to get them back."

"But Z won't come back." Frank stated. "And Bridge will stick by her."

"Z won't work for me." Cruger corrected him. "There is a way to rectify that problem."

Z came home from her shift, exhausted and sore from the back-breaking labour. She threw down her coat and slumped down onto the couch. Bridge came into the room a short time later, carrying some spaghetti bolognaise.

"Hard day?" He asked. Z just gave him a withering look at the stupidly redundant question. Bridge took the hint and just gave her the plate.

"God, I hate this!" She stated with authority as she began enthusiastically devouring the dish. "It's boring; it's hard work it's..."

"I think it's quite nice actually." Bridge interrupted. "Kind of sweet and tangy. Maybe you'd like some more pepper."

Z looked at him a little confused, before realising what he meant and shook her head in disbelief.

"Not the bolognaise, the job!" She groaned. "I really hate my new job!"

"If you're not happy, you can always quit." Bridge suggested. "We can always stay here a bit longer while you find something else."

"That's really sweet of you Bridge, but we need the money." She told him. "I want to be with you." She pulled him over, kissing him tenderly. "As long as I get at least one of those a day, it'll all be worth it."

"Well I'm not a doctor, but I think I can prescribe that." He replied, kissing her again. The two shared a contented giggle as they enjoyed their meal. They were interrupted a short time later as Mrs Carson showed Cruger into the room. The expressions of happiness slipped from their faces as they saw him.

"Mrs. Carson, could you give us a minute?" He asked her. She took the plates from the young couple.

"I'll reheat them when you're done." She told them before leaving the room. Cruger sat down across from them.

"I'd like to ask you both to return to SPD." He began. "It's not fair that earth should suffer the loss of two outstanding officers just because I made a few mistakes."

"A few mistakes?" Z roared. "You kept my dad's existence a secret from me! We talked all the time; you know how important it was to me to find my family!"

"I did it for your family." Cruger stated. "Danny Delgado was by far my closest and most trusted friend. He was like a brother to me."

He breathed a heavy sigh as he prepared to tell them the story he knew they'd need to hear if they were to fully understand his actions. The only thing that could make them trust anything he said. "I came to earth following my recuperation from the injuries suffered in the final battle for Anubis. I was assigned to SPD earth in the late nineties. However, my recovery wasn't complete."

Bridge took Z's hand as they listened in on the tale. They felt like they were finally going to understand everything.

"On Anubis, they didn't believe in PTSD. Anyone suffering mental ill health following battle was generally considered merely weak or a coward. In that respect we were a very backward race. My body had recovered, but I had not undergone any counselling." He continued. "Without it, I had to face my horror alone."

"That must have been hard for you." Z commented. "Where does dad fit in?"

Cruger breathed another huge sigh. "I didn't sleep for many months. Every time I closed my eyes, I saw my comrades fall. I saw Icinia, and I was reminded every moment of every day that I was alone. I was the last of my kind. All I could do was wait for my inevitable extinction." He looked to the ceiling as he recalled that time. "I no longer wanted to live. I became self destructive and reckless. One night, I had a lot to drink. I went into my office, I finished a bottle of whisky and I prepared to throw myself onto the Shadow Sabre. I just needed the pain to end. Danny found me and stopped me before I could go through with it."

Bridge and Z sat in shock at the revelation. Z needed to wipe away a few tears, unable tears. She'd never have thought she'd actually feel sorry for him after everything she'd been through, but she had to sympathise with him.

"My God!" Was all Bridge could say. He was too stunned to offer any further statement. Cruger swept away a tear and continued the story. "He got me into therapy, and helped me through my lowest ebb. More importantly, he never once judged me or betrayed my trust. By the time I was no longer suicidal, I owed him more than my life would ever be able to repay. We had a tearful parting the day he decided to leave SPD. As happy as I was for him, Kendall and yourself, I couldn't help missing the man who saved my life."

Bridge put an arm around Z, wordlessly able to tell that this was when she needed his support the most. This was when she'd ask the question. "Why did you not tell me or Dad?"

"Because Danny asked me not to." He replied. "When I told him you'd been located, he was overjoyed, but I had to tell him the circumstances. When I showed him a picture of you, he was crushed. He'd missed your entire life, and he knew it would be horribly painful for you and himself to go through the process of getting to know each other over and over again until he could remember you." Cruger crossed the room, and knelt in front of the young woman, taking her hand. "I tried to convince him otherwise, but he said he wanted me to keep you from him. He made me swear on my life I would do so. I owed him too much to refuse. I've kept his secret ever since."

"When you saw how much it meant to me, why didn't you just tell me?" She asked. "Clearly dad doesn't remember making you make that promise. I would have learned to cope..."

"But I would have remembered." Cruger interrupted. "I gave him my word, and I couldn't betray that. So I did what I could and took care of you as best I could. I've become truly proud of the woman you've become. You once told me I was like a father to you." He looked into her eyes, a few tears beginning to roll down his face. "You've become like a daughter to me. Can you blame an old dog for caring too much?"

Z was unable to answer, staring at the floor. Cruger got up, and started to leave. "I'm going now; you know where Sky's office is. You're welcome to return to SPD whenever you're ready." He looked the young couple over one last time. "You know that's where you belong." With that, he left the house, leaving them in each other's arms.

The following day, as he predicted, Bridge and Z left the jobs they hated so much and returned to where they belonged at SPD. Staying out of sight, Cruger felt his heart lift as he saw them return to their friends. Sky noticed him as he made to leave, bringing the others over to him.

"Were you going somewhere?" Sky asked him.

"You know I was." He replied. "I need to start looking for a new job."

"You never said anything last night!" Z shrieked. "You're leaving SPD?"

"I know you'll probably not be able to work with me again, so I made the decision to resign for the safety of earth." He responded.

"You can't leave, SPD is where you belong!" She yelled. "I know it still hurts, and it will be a long time before it stops hurting, but I'd never ask you to leave."

Sky stepped forward, drawing the Shadow Sabre. "A wise commander once told me that every swordsman drops his sword once in a while. What defines him...?"

"Is if he picks it back up." Doggie concluded his own advice. "It's up to Z. If she feels like she can trust me enough to work with me, then I'll stay."

Z looked around at the others, before looking back at Cruger. "I trust you." She replied. "SPD needs you as much as SPD earth needs us."

"Then I'll stay." He told her. "Thank you Z."

Cruger then followed them inside to prepare his shuttle to take him back to central command. It had been a trying time for everyone involved, but at least they had begun to patch things up. At least, for now, the galaxy was safe.

Fin.


End file.
